Leadership for Life – Groupthink

Our Leadership experts will be sharing tips and insights for everyone, at any station in life, at both home and work. Leadership for Life – the skills you embrace represent who you really are at all times.

When I was in graduate school (back in the dim times), several of us who were studying group dynamics came up with a slogan: “Groups are Good!” In the intervening years, I came to understand that workplaces which employ groups and teams to turn out their work need to also be on the lookout for a phenomenon known as Groupthink.

Groupthink happens when ideas and suggestions are adapted without sufficient exploration and challenge, leading to decisions that are not well thought out.

The result of groupthink can be tragedy or disaster, as history has borne out. Think of New Coke, Edsel, Watergate, and Challenger, just for a few very public (and expensive) examples.

Groupthink happens in highly cohesive groups, in which the members feel a strong need to please a charismatic or highly directive leader or maintain a high level of friendliness. In fact, the more team members like each other, or the more committed to the group they feel, the more likely it is that groupthink will occur.

About Barry Schapiro

Barry is the Workforce Solutions Group Practice Leader for Leadership and Professional Development. His experience includes delivery and management of business training in a variety of industries, with specialties in leadership, team development, generational diversity, and customer service. Twitter

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